Author: Cecile

Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).
Alice Munro Alice Munro

Alice Munro’s Nobel Lecture

Last week, the Nobel Prize website released a video of an interview with Alice Munro, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. Being 82 years old, she was too frail to make the trip to Stockholm to accept the prize, but this video was a great way to learn more about this amazing Canadian writer. For those of you who are not familiar with her work, Alice Munro writes…

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Fiction MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

I arrived an hour early at Southminster United Church in Ottawa on Tuesday 24 September 2013. Already there was a line for the event One on One with Margaret Atwood. Before getting to my seat, I was given 4 buttons: “Margaret Atwood MaddAddam: See the Future, Seek the Truth”. This was the first time I was handed a gift at a literary event. I thought this was a great souvenir,…

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Fiction Black Friday Books

My Black Friday Purchases…

Because I am book obsessed, my Black Friday purchases weren’t clothes or shoes or jewelry… but books, books and more books! Look at these beautiful works of art! Notice the colorful covers and spines! I think they will look right at home on my shelves! Did I mention they were 75% off? Here is a list of my acquisitions: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland The Virgin…

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Fiction Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin

Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin was in Ottawa on Saturday 30 November 2013 to talk about his new book, Saints of the Shadow Bible. Earlier that day, he was having a drink in a pub when he started chatting with one of the customers there.  The guy noticed that he was Scottish, and asked Rankin what he was doing for a living. When the author told him, the guy said he was actually…

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Bookstore Chapters Runnymede

Two iconic bookstores will be closing their doors in early 2014 in Toronto

It was announced recently that two iconic Chapters stores will be closing in Toronto: Chapters Runnymede and The World’s Biggest Book Store. The building where Chapters Runnymede is located used to be a movie theatre. It was built in 1927, and the exterior and interior have been preserved to house the bookstore. It is a beautiful place, and I remember spending many hours browsing the shelves and admiring the decor….

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Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde

Did you know that Oscar Wilde…

… spent two years in a London prison for the charge of gross indecency and homosexual behavior? During his imprisonment, his health deteriorated because of the food or lack thereof, and because of the hard labor he had to do there. Once released, he went to live in France under the name Sebastian Melmoth. He died of cerebral meningitis three years later, on 30 November 1900. His remains are in…

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